The Research Core Center at the Oregon Health &Science University will support thirteen principal investigators, funded by the NIDCD and other institutes. The group has a strong focus on and a substantial record of accomplishments in the auditory and vestibular sciences;other investigators within the group study additional areas of NIDCD focus, including olfaction and head and neck cancer. The goal of the Core Center is to centralize expertise on bioengineering, imaging, and mouse genetics in order to enhance presently funded research projects and to stimulate collaborations between participating investigators. In order to achieve these goals, continued support of three Core facilities is proposed. The Bioengineering Core (Alfred Nuttall, director) will provide computer hardware and software support, as well as expertise and instrumentation for measurement of hearing acuity in live animals. The Imaging Core (Dennis Trune and Peter Steyger, co-directors) will centralize confocal and electron-microscopic imaging through the existing OHRC infrastructure. The Mouse Core (Peter Gillespie and John Brigande, co-directors) will provide expertise on mouse husbandry and genotyping as well as two centralized services: assembly of transgenic and gene-targeting constructs and in vivo electroporation to deliver foreign genes into the inner ear in utero. By providing services not available through existing grants, this Core facility will enhance research carried out by users and stimulate productive collaborations.